Cartridge Deflector For Lever Action Top Ejection Rifles

ABSTRACT

A cartridge and shell casing deflecting device for attachment to lever action top ejection rifles. This deflecting device changes the trajectory of the ejected cartridges and empty shell casings from vertical and to the rear of the rifle to a trajectory of between vertical and horizontal and to the right of the rifle as seen from the shooter&#39;s position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/473280, filed on Apr. 8, 2011.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of firearms and ammunition.

Lever action repeating rifles have been manufactured for well over a century by various manufacturers. Generally, these rifles operate by thrusting the lever, located beneath the rifle, in a downward motion, which expels the spent shell casing or the unfired rifle cartridge. Raising the lever to its original position loads a new cartridge into the chamber, ready to be fired.

Two types of ejection systems are most common—side ejection and top ejection. Side ejection lever action repeating rifles have the advantage of accommodating a riflescope mounted directly above the receiver, just ahead of the stock of the rifle, the conventional and most functional position for a riflescope, directly in front of the shooter's eye. Top ejection rifles are unable to accommodate a riflescope mounted in this position since the fired shell casings and unfired cartridges are ejected upward from the rifle receiver and back over the shooter's shoulder. Various remedies, such as side-mounted and forward-mounted scopes are available, but have not become popular by any means.

Until recently most lever action rifles were considered short-range guns, accurate up to approximately 100 yards. Accuracy at this distance is near the upper limit of capability of a shooter with normal eyesight using open sights. In the past few years improved ammunition has become available for these guns that has increased the accuracy to a range of up to 300 yards.

Accuracy with these rifles at ranges beyond 100 yards requires a riflescope and riflescopes specifically for these guns with this new ammunition are now being produced with pre-set crosshair markings for 100, 200 and 300 yards.

Accordingly, there is a need for a method of changing the direction of cartridges and shell casings ejected from top ejection rifles to a more nearly horizontal path, allowing the mounting of a riflescope in the conventional manner described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a cartridge and shell casing deflector comprising a vertical flat surface for attachment to the left side of the receiver of a lever action top ejection rifle, and two angled surfaces with witch the ejected cartridges and shell casings make contact and by which contact are deflected from a vertical trajectory to a trajectory angled between horizontal and vertical and in a direction to the right of the rifle as viewed from the shooter's position.

Previously, most top ejection rifles could not accommodate a top-mounted riflescope installed conventionally above the receiver and placing its focal lens near the shooter's eye, the desired position. Alternatives such as side-mounted and front-mounted scopes have functional and aesthetic drawbacks and, as such, have had only limited use.

This cartridge and shell casing deflector solves this shortcoming of these types of rifles by deflecting the spent shell casings and unfired cartridges away from the position above the receiver of the rifle where the riflescope would ideally be located.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a left side elevation of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of the invention attached to the receiver of a rifle, shown in cross section, and showing the deflection surfaces that project over the rifle receiver.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view taken from above, to the left and to the rear of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a one-piece cartridge and shell casing deflection device for attachment to a lever action top ejection rifle comprising a flat attachment plate 1 (FIG. 1), and two deflection elements, the primary deflection element 4, and the secondary deflection element 5.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the invention attached to the receiver 6 of a rifle, shown in cross-section, with the primary 4 and secondary 5 deflection elements extending over top of the receiver. As the lever (not shown) of the rifle is thrust downward, the breech bolt 7 of the rifle moves rearward extracting the cartridge or shell casing from the rifle chamber. As the forward end of the cartridge or shell casing clears the chamber it is forced upward and backward, rotating around its base, or rear end, which is held in place by the extraction pin in the breech bolt. As a cartridge is extracted from the chamber this upward and rearward rotation causes its forward part to contact the primary deflection element 4 with the narrowest part of its shell casing, that part being just rearward of the bullet (projectile). This contact deflects the front of the cartridge to the right, and as the cartridge continues its upward and rearward rotation, past the vertical position, the base of the cartridge is released from the extraction pin in the breech bolt. The base of the cartridge then rises due to the rotational effect of the cartridge and makes contact with the secondary deflection element 5 and this contact propels the cartridge away from the rifle, to the right, on a trajectory somewhat above the horizontal and at more or less at right angles to the rifle. Empty shell casings are ejected form the rifle in a similar manner except that the shell casing makes contact with the primary deflection element 4 immediately behind the point where its taper, or neck-down, begins.

The preferred method of attachment of the invention would be using metal screws, but other methods are not excluded. Depicted in FIG. 1 are screw attachment holes positioned so as to match existing tapped holes in the Winchester Model 1894, the most common of the lever action top ejection rifles. This depiction is for illustration purposes and is not intended to limit the application of this invention to any make or model of rifle. This invention is of one piece and could be pre-cut and stamped from sheet metal or formed from a variety of non-metallic materials.

While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the invention could be made from hard, shatterproof plastic or other materials. Further, a mirror image model of this invention could be made and attached to the opposite side of the rifle. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims. 

1. A cartridge and shell casing deflecting device comprising: a. a flat plate for attachment to a rifle; b. a primary deflecting element; c. a secondary deflecting element.
 2. The deflecting device of claim 1 wherein the device is fixed to the receiver of a rifle by an attachment means.
 3. The deflecting device of claim 1 wherein the device can be made from metal or other material. 